Newspaper-Style Menus

You may recall a few weeks ago I shared some rehearsal dinner invitations I made for my little brother's big day, using antiqued baby pictures and an art-deco Chicago style theme.  Since their rehearsal dinner is at a steakhouse featuring checkered table cloths and old-Chicago styling, we decided to carry the theme through by making dinner menus that looked like old newspapers.  Look how cute they turned out!!  I'm a little in love, not gonna lie...

The fonts are all art-deco style fonts I found on dafont.com, and for this project I featured March Madness, Deco Card and Herald Square.  And the baby photos are the sames ones from the invitation.  All in all, these took me about an hour to make, and I'm just going to print them on plain paper on a color printer and leave one at each place setting- the fact that everything is a little bit casual only makes it that much better, I think!



Are you working on any fun projects right now?

The Luckiest Girl in the World!

I know, we're still working on getting those images fixed- I'm sorry friends!  But I've got a REALLY great excuse I swear.  J. and I have been working hard to get a tenant into my condo, which in itself has been a project.  But the big news is twofold: (1) I just got a NEW JOB! and (2) we're expecting our first baby and we finally hit the 12 week mark so we can share the news!!!



The bliss is beyond measure.  We are ecstatic!  I mean, a baby, that alone is awesome.  But to be able to also say that after two years of working at it, I've finally found the perfect position for my career path (and they think so too)?!  It's all happening at once and it's almost too much- almost, but not quite- I embrace it with open arms.



So yeah, I'm sorry about the images, and I swear we're working on it.  The One! will go on!  To make up for the missing images, here's a shot of our little bean at 7 weeks 3 days to tide you over...

SO HAPPY!!  :)

Progress! (and patience)

So you may have noticed... The One! just got a fabulous makeover from Designs By Kassie- and I just want to say right now, Kassie works quickly, is super responsive, has wonderful creative ideas, and was very reasonably priced.  I am so excited about our new look and hope you like it too!



Of course, while I was working with Kassie on the new design, all my old images stopped working.  Where did they go???  Here's what we do know- it wasn't Kassie's fault!

We think we figured out where they went (hello old server) but you may need to bear with us for a few days while J. and I get them back for you all!  But we sure do appreciate your patience and hope to have some good surprises for you in the next few weeks!!



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For the Love of a Good Menu

Anyone who has ever watched Top Chef knows how important presentation is. That goes for menus too- a great looking menu enhances the food and gets your guests psyched for eating. Mmmm I'm hungry just thinking about it. I've seen menus done in donzens of great ways, but my current obsession comes from my friend R's wedding. Girlfriend printed the menus using her home printer on standard-issue brown paper bags- perfect for carrying home the wedding favor post-celebration! I think this is such an adorable idea for outdoor, winery, barn, or really any kind of rustic wedding. But I also might use these for my next BBQ!  Or, someday, maybe I'll make little lunch bags for the first day of school- I can see kids loving them too... and brown paper bags cost next to nothing.  Oooh the possibilities!

Check them out and tell me you're not in love too...

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photo by me- from R's wedding!

 

Are you considering making menus for your next celebration?

Amazon Mom- For People Who Like Discounts!

No silly not that kind...



I just learned from the lovely lady over at 320 Sycamore, about a pretty kick*ss program called Amazon Mom where anyone who cares for a child (aunts, uncles, grandparents, sitters) can sign up and get FREE Amazon Prime for 3 months!  That's FREE stwo day shipping with no minimum kids! 



Of course, this is going to be super handy for all the brides out there.  And if you happen to also be a mom, there's some great kids deals like diaper discounts (its 30% off diapers and wipes)- but I'm planning to use my 3 months on CHRISTMAS SHOPPING! 



And nobody even paid me to write this.  I'm just really enthused!!



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You Just Can't Keep Me Away...

I know I know, I'm retiring.  But I had to share these little rehearsal dinner invitations I made for my little bro's upcoming nuptuals because they might be my favorite design ever, and I really did these myself!  The dinner is being held at an old Chicago steakhouse where the color scheme involves lots of vintage green, so I grabbed old art deco fonts from www.dafont.com and went wild!  I kept things simple because the happy couple is definitely more into "understated" than "over the top" but I think they came out juuust right.



I love them, potentially more than I love the adorable couple (ok just kidding guys)!  :)





Cheers!

Moving On, Moving Up

A year ago when I started this blog it was kind of a bucket list thing.  I do a lot of writing for a living, could I write a blog for a year?  I thought so.  What I didn't anticipate was that I'd develop such a great group of followers, nor did I know how rewarding blogging would be!  I have learned so much about relationships, about crafting and planning, and about gathering as a community  in support of one another- miraculously, all through a silly, geeky blog.   And although it's been gratifying beyond measure to participate in this world, I have to face facts:  I'm waaaay too busy to do this for the long haul.  I will ALWAYS love weddings but I am officially over-saturated with wedding knowledge- knowledge I no longer need.   It's generally a good idea to walk away from something while you still love it, no?



Furthermore, J. and I are looking down the barrel of some big changes right now.  None are so big we can't manage, but  I need to take some time to prioritize my career and family right now- and unfortunately the blog doesn't make money or cuddle.  So even though it's a bummer to slow down, I need to focus on the rest of my life for a while.



The good news is that I can save some $$ because I won't be paying hosting fees anymore.  The bad news is that I have to move the blog to another (free) platform- which I will be sharing with you as soon as I figure it out- so all those postings won't be gone forever.  And don't worry, I'll still post from time to time when I have something good to share!  PLUS I'm still holding out hope that I can hand The One! over to a new bride-to-be who may be looking for a way to share her adventures (so please email me if you are interested)!



It's hard to figure out how to end a post like this without sounding cheesy, so I am forced to accept that I will always be a cheeseball, and end with two of the cheesiest things I can think of.  First, the always-quotable Elizabeth Gilbert:



"We search for happiness everywhere, but we are like Tolstoy's fabled beggar who spent his life sitting on a pot of gold, under him the whole time. Your treasure--your perfection--is within you already. But to claim it, you must leave the busy commotion of the mind and abandon the desires of the ego and enter into the silence of the heart."



Elizabeth always nails it, doesn't she?  That's totally how I feel- I need to chill for a while and focus on some basics.  Oh and the second cheesey thing I hearby bequeath to you?  From Titanic...





I'll never let go...





xoxo,



Sarah :)